Alexander Payne: Interviews

by Julie Levinson (Editor)

Overview

Since 1996, Alexander Payne (b. 1961) has made six feature films and a short segment of an omnibus movie. Although his body of work is quantitatively small, it is qualitatively impressive. His movies have garnered numerous accolades and awards, including two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. As more than one interviewer in this volume points out, he maintains an impressive and unbroken winning streak. Payne's stories of human strivings and follies, alongside his mastery of the craft of filmmaking, mark him as a contemporary auteur of uncommon accomplishment.

In this first compilation of his interviews, Payne reveals himself as a captivating conversationalist as well. The discussions collected here range from 1996, shortly after the release of his first film, Citizen Ruth, to the 2013 debut of his film Nebraska. Over his career, he muses on many subjects including his own creative processes, his commitment to telling character-centered stories, and his abiding admiration for movies and directors from across decades of film history. Critics describe Payne as one of the few contemporary

Filmmakers who consistently manages to buck the current trend toward bombastic blockbusters. Like the 1970s director-driven cinema that he cherishes, his films are small-scale character studies that manage to maintain a delicate balance between sharp satire and genuine poignancy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496810519
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	01/26/2017
Series:	Conversations with Filmmakers Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	231
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Julie Levinson, Newton, Massachusetts, is professor of film at Babson College. She has served as the film curator for several arts organizations and film festivals. Levinson is coeditor of Acting and author of The American Success Myth on Film, as well as book chapters and articles on a range of topics including genre and gender, documentary film, narrative theory, and metafiction.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chronology xix

Filmography xxiii

Writing and Directing Citizen Ruth: A Talk with Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor Tod Lippy/1996 3

An Interview with Citizen Ruth Director Alexander Payne Angie Drobnic/1997 22

Adapting and Directing Election: A Talk with Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor Annie Nocenti/1999 25

Bringing on the Payne Jeffrey M. Anderson Rob Blackwelder/1999 41

Fresh Air Interview with Alexander Payne Terry Gross/2003 47

About Schmidt Director Alexander Payne Does Have Something Interesting to Say Walter Chaw/2003 55

Interview: Alexander Payne Jeff Otto/2004 60

Interview: Alexander Payne Scott Tobias/2004 64

Alexander Payne: Sideways Adrian Hennigan/2005 71

Alexander Payne Kate Donnelly/2005 75

Alexander Payne: Staying Straight While Making Sideways Brad Balfour/2004 85

Alexander Payne: Sideways Glance at America Kenneth Turan/2005 90

Alexander Payne Talks The Descendants, Clooney, Next Black and White Film, New Trailer Anne Thompson/2011 115

Alexander Payne on The Descendants and Why It's a Minor Work Eric Kohn/2011 123

Director's Chair: Alexander Payne's The Descendants Iain Blair/2011 129

Filmmaker Alexander Payne on The Descendants Edward Douglas/2011 134

Interview: Alexander Payne Scott Tobias/2011 142

Payne Find His Way to The Descendants Marshall Fine/2011 150

An Interview with Alexander Payne Glenn Kenny/2011 153

Interview: Alexander Payne Dave Davies/2011 159

Alexander Payne Talks The Descendants and His Next Two Projects, Nebraska and Wilson Christina Radish/2011 170

Interview with Alexander Payne Charlie Rose/2011 175

Alexander Payne Prefers Actors Who Can Communicate Jennelle Riley/2011 184

The Lei of the Land: A Few Moments with Alexander Payne Christy Grosz/2012 190

Director of The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Talks Bristling Egos and Putting Life on Film Alanna J. Lawson/2012 194

Omaha and the Perfect Ending: The Alexander Payne Interview Erich van Dussen/2013 198

Film Director Alexander Payne: Greece "Energizes My DNA!" Demetrios Rhompotis/2013 202

Whittling Birch Bark: A Conversation with Alexander Payne Julie Levinson/2013 206

Director Alexander Payne on Nebraska Damian Houx/2013 216

Additional Resources 221

Index 223